  Ownby Stadium Location within Texas Show map of Texas Ownby Stadium Ownby Stadium (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Address | 5800 Ownby Dr. |
|---|---|
| Location | University Park, Texas |
| Coordinates | 32°50′22″N96°46′56″W / 32.83944°N 96.78222°W /32.83944; -96.78222 |
| Owner | Southern Methodist University |
| Operator | Southern Methodist University |
| Capacity | 23,783 |
| Acreage | 1.2 acres (0.49 ha) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1926 (1926) |
| Opened | 1926 (1926) |
| Closed | 1998 (1998) |
| Demolished | October 1998 (1998-10) |
| Architect | DeWitt &Lemmon |
| Builder | Osborne Engineering Co. |
| Tenants | |
| SMU Mustangs (NCAA) (1926–1948, 1989–1994) Dallas Tornado (NASL) (1976–1979) | |
Jordan C. Ownby Stadium | |
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival,Georgian Revival |
| MPS | Georgian Revival Buildings of Southern Methodist University TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004093[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 27, 1980[2] |
| Removed from NRHP | September 23, 2004 |
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in theUniversity Park suburb ofDallas, Texas. It was the home of theSouthern Methodist University Mustang football team. In late 1998, the stadium was demolished to buildGerald J. Ford Stadium at the site.
Named forJordon Ownby, the stadium was built at the south end of the campus. There was controversy at the time of the stadium's inception, as the school had spent the gift from Ownby on a stadium (per his wishes) rather than a full-sized library, which the school did not have at the time.[3]
As the Mustangs rose to prominence in the 1930s, they began scheduling an increasing number of games at the much largerCotton Bowl, and finally moved there on a permanent basis in 1948,[4] while later moving toTexas Stadium. However, aftermassive rules violations resulted in theNCAA handing down the"death penalty" in 1987, SMU officials decided to move football games back to a heavily renovated Ownby Stadium.
From 1976 to 1979 the chief tenant at Ownby was theDallas Tornado of theNorth American Soccer League.
The 23,783-seat stadium consisted of four grandstands, one on each side, with the west (home) side being larger than the rest. In late 1998, the stadium was demolished to make way forGerald J. Ford Stadium, which stands on the same site.[5]
